Biker's Journal, Tip of the Iceberg

6 Tips to Choose the Right Riding Boots

Here are the 6 Tips to Choose the Right Riding Boots by a professional expert at 6kiom. Read along to know more and find out the right ways to choose your riding boots for a safe and comfortable ride.

If riding is a part of your life and you respect the various dangers on the roads, then you must have your mind set on picking up some motorcycle riding gear like a high quality helmet or some CE Certified gloves. Sadly, the more often overlooked part of the basic riding gear setup is the Boot. Being a primary contact point with your motorcycle, it is essential for you to not compromise on the comfort and safety of your feet. 

With the growing variety in type and quality of Riding Boots nowadays, it’s getting harder and harder to make a decision while buying a riding boot. On this edition of 6 Things with 6kiom, we are going to help you decide which motorcycle riding boot suits you the best.

Falco boots on bike

Falco Boots on bike

Tip 1:  Purpose

The first thing that would come to mind while even considering a riding boot is what kind of boot to get. Boots offer various levels of protection and comfort based on the use it is expected to get. 

The 5 major types of Motorcycle Riding Boots available are:

  • Race Boots
  • Adventure Boots
  • MX Boots
  • Urban Boots
  • Touring Boots

 

All of these boots have various features and distinctions that make them better for their respective usage. MX Boots like the Falco Level shown below are useful mostly for Motocross or Enduro application, due to their high impact resistance and low ankle mobility.

Falco level motorcross boots

Falco Level (Motocross Boot)

Adventure Boots have better grip in mud for off road applications as compared to Race Boots, which are made for use on tarmac only. Touring Boots and Urban Boots suit a more casual rider who would wear the boots on a more regular basis, with differences mainly in grip and mobility. 

Avoid choosing any riding gear based on its looks, and first decide what terrain and application the boots will see before heading to the riding gear store.

 

Tip 2: Certification

While buying any product nowadays, we often look for some certification or homologation from a reputed source, such as ISI standard. Shouldn’t the same apply for motorcycles? Who tests the expensive motorcycle riding gear to see whether it will protect us as advertised? This is where CE or European Certified comes into action. CE is relied upon worldwide as a standard of quality for a large variety of products, including motorcycle riding gear, toys, clothes, machinery and many more categories.

 

CE certification tagCE Certification tag found on the inside of the Falco Mixto 4 ADV boot

The CE Mark shown above is displayed on product tags, indicating that it has satisfied the legal requirements set by the European Union to be sold in any European Union member country. Hence, for the rest of the world, CE acts as a guarantee for a good quality and reliable product.

For riding gears, CE Certification requires rigorously testing the product in a variety of real life conditions, such as testing for Skin Irritation, Abrasion Resistance, Tear Strength, Seam Strength, and many more criteria.

Back to Earth now- what you need to be looking at while buying riding boots are:

The CE Mark

The testing criteria EN 13634: 2017 (The standard for motorcycle riding boots specifically)

The numbers mentioned below the testing mark, which indicate the quality of the basic features of the boot. 

CE MarkCE Mark and a breakdown of the tag found inside the boot

Tip 3: Protection

The key selling point of a motorcycle riding boot is that it will protect you in case of an accident or fall. In most accidents ranging from small drops at a traffic signal to side swipes on a high speed road, the common places of injury are the arms and legs as they stick further out of the body when compared to the rest of your body. So it’s always a good investment to pick up at least basic protection early. 

Arch protection on Falco bootsArch protection on the Falco Maxx Tech 2 WTR (Urban Boot)

The commonly protected areas on most of the types of boots available are the toes, arch and heel. Touring Boots offer an additional few inches of height to additionally cover the ankle. Race Boots, Race-Touring boots, Motocross/Enduro Boots and Adventure segment boots feature protection up to the shin level, protecting all the above areas and the shin.

Boots made for specific purposes have features to specifically help riders in such accidents. For example, Motocross riders have a tendency to have high impact collisions from a variety of angles, so boots like the Falco Level Boots, Alpinestars Tech 3 Boots and Fly Racing Dirt Maverick Boots feature very rigid builds and low mobility to protect against direct impacts as well as rotational impacts.

Race Boots feature TPU Sliders placed strategically to help the rider slide on tarmac to help track riders more.

 

Tip 4: Materials

One aspect that will significantly influence your riding boot purchase is the materials used in the boot. While boots are available from a variety of brands, the more successful brands will usually offer the nicest and most lightweight materials as they have the highest impact on consumers.


Falco adventure bootsFalco Avantour 2(Adventure Boot)

The first thing you would notice is the outer material. Generally, boots come made out of leather to help in abrasion resistance and also last a long time. Some premium brands use Oil Treated leather to allow for use on even waterproof models.

The inner padding is equally important, being the core of your protective aspects. Falco boots take advantage of D3O Protection inside the boots liner for better impact absorption and a lighter overall boot. D3O also gets used in other premium riding gears like Furygan and Bikeratti for their pants and jackets.

D30 Protection in Falco bootsD3O Protection in Falco Boots

A good boot would also use a quality insole and outsole. Commonly we see Memory Foam and Orthopedic insoles available from the leading brands, and for outsoles the industry leader is Vibram. This material can be found on the Falco Mixto 4 ADV Boot and provides the best possible grip and durability. 

Lastly, take a good look at the inner material of the boot. The best products tend to use branded inner membranes like High-Tex Advanced Membrane, Gore-Tex and Sympatex to provide the best waterproofing solutions for riders. The top of the boot must be comfortable enough to not irritate the skin or ruin your gear. Some shin level boots like the Falco Avantour 2 Adventure Boot shown above feature leather top seams.


Vibram outsole and high Tex advanced membraneVibram Outsole (Left) and High-Tex Advanced Membrane 

Tip 5: Comfort

Ideally, you would want to use your riding boots every time you get on your motorcycle. For some people this is just on the weekends or long rides, and for some it means wearing them daily. So make sure you choose a boot that you feel comfortable in and specific for your use. The best boots in terms of comfort for regular use would be boots from the Touring and Urban boots categories. They offer a lower protection level than some of the shin level boots, but trade in really good mobility and comfort when on or off the bike. 

Some boots feature mobility features such as accordion panels or plastic moving parts to help the foot move, but still be protective. 


Falco flexible riding bootsAccordion Panels on the Falco Oxegen 3 WTR Race-Touring Boot. 

Tip 6: Sizing

A commonly neglected factor while choosing any riding gear is the sizing. Always try on the boot you intend to buy and move around in them. A small riding boot can cause pain and discomfort and a boot too big might not protect you properly. So check if you feel discomfort or pressure in excess on your toes, heel and arch of the foot. Don’t hesitate to ask the salesperson to help you know if the sizing is correct, and only then buy the pair of boots. 

Conclusion

Hopefully this helps you to understand riding boots better before going to buy a pair. Always remember to wear your gear and helmet whenever you are on your bike. Ride safe!

Check our Riding Boots Collection at 6kiom

Also Check our Youtube Channel for the video guide on How to Choose the right Riding Boots

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